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Brief Synopsis

A young girl fears her favorite uncle may be a killer.

Serial murderer Charles Oakley is forced to flee Philadelphia when the police come to suspect him in the strangulations of three rich widows. Charles escapes to his unsuspecting older sister Emma Newton's home in the small town of Santa Rosa, California. At the train station, Charles is met by his brother-in-law Joseph, his young nephew Roger and his two nieces, Charlie and Ann. Charlie is especially elated by the arrival of her uncle, as she was named after him and the two have a seemingly telepathic relationship. At dinner that night, Charles, who is viewed by the Newtons as a sophisticated adventurer, gives Charlie an emerald ring, and she begins to hum the "Merry Widow" waltz, the same tune of which Charles had just been thinking. The next day, Emma tells Charles that a questionnaire man for a national poll named Jack Graham, along with photographer Fred Saunders, is conducting a survey of the Newton family, but Charles refuses to be interviewed or photographed. After spending the day with the Newtons, Jack takes Charlie on a date, and she learns that he is actually a police detective investigating her uncle. Jack tells her that Charles is one of two suspects, and Charlie agrees not to divulge his secret to her family. After Jack takes her home, Charlie rushes to the library, where she discovers that Charles had earlier destroyed her father's newspaper because it contained an article about the nationwide search for the "Merry Widow Murderer." She also learns that the third victim's name matches the engraved initials on the ring her uncle gave her. At dinner the next night, Charlie's suspicions are confirmed when Charles openly expresses his hatred of widows. She rushes out of the room when Joseph and his old friend, Herbie Hawkins, a mystery buff, discuss various forms of murder, and Charles chases after her. He forces Charlie to go into a bar and tells her that she knows nothing of the real world. Returning home, Charles promises to leave town in a few days if she will help him. Later, Fred tells Charlie that he secretly photographed Charles and they are now waiting for him to be identified by witnesses on the East Coast. Charlie then agrees to force her uncle to leave town, in order to avoid a scandal, and tells the detectives how he will be leaving. Meanwhile, Charles hears that the second murder suspect has been killed attempting to avoid the police and assumes he is safe, but soon realizes that Charlie knows the truth. After telling Charlie that her uncle has been cleared of the crimes, Jack proclaims his love and promises to return to her. Later, Charlie is almost killed when she trips on a broken step on the back stairs. She then demands that her uncle leave and threatens to kill him if he does not go. Soon thereafter, Charlie is almost killed again when she becomes trapped in the garage with a running car engine. That night, after speaking before Emma's women's club, Charles announces that he is leaving for San Francisco, on the same train as the widowed Mrs. Potter. Charles makes one last attempt to kill Charlie by throwing her off the moving train, but she pushes him into the path of an oncoming train instead. Charles is then given a grand funeral, as Charlie and Jack agree to keep his murderous nature their secret.